RALEIGH – After a dozen years, any entertainment and sports venue would need upgrades, and the RBC Center is no different. A new plan highlights 108 arena projects at a total cost of $108 million in the coming years.

Many of the projects focus on the guts of the building, says Jeff Merritt, the executive director for the Centennial Authority, an appointed body that acts as landlord for the RBC Center. “These are the things above the ceiling and below the floor,” he says.

The authority currently has a reserve of $13.6 million for capital projects – an amount that Finance Director John House projects will grow to $17.2 million by 2015. In 2016, however, the authority has budgeted $5.8 million for a center scoreboard upgrade and $2.3 million for roof repairs. That would take the reserve fund down to $10 million, according to House.

Though the scoreboard upgrade is budgeted, it’s not expected to happen any time soon, given that the one in use is just two years old. “The one we have now is state-of-the art and will likely serve us longer than 2016,” he says.

Two-thirds, or $71 million, of all the $108 million in projects is allocated for work in a category called architecture or interior. These are maintenance issues or structural items that must be addressed to keep the building operational.

The Carolina Hurricanes hockey team plays 41 regular season games at the RBC Center each year and, for obvious reasons, the facility must maintain good ice conditions. Merritt says all’s working fine in that regard, but the Centennial Authority wants to assure it is in position to take care of any issues that may arise.

“I’ve got to make sure that the water and ice is never in question,” Merritt says.

The authority completed a capital expenditure project list in 2007, but that was more of a “30,000-foot view” of broad areas that needed to be addressed. The new study, done by Kansas City design firm Populous and released last week, addresses nearly three times as many projects and is much more specific.

Dave Olsen, arena vice president and general manager, and his team gave input for the projects. As for future projects, he wants the arena to upgrade to digital menu boards and signs. That would allow him to give the arena more of an N.C. State look for Wolfpack games and a Hurricanes look for hockey games.

On Feb. 4, for example, the Wolfpack basketball team will play Wake Forest at 1 p.m. and the Hurricanes will take on the Los Angeles Kings at 7 p.m. That doesn’t afford crews enough time to physically change a lot of signs. Digital signage could be changed with some clicks of a mouse. “Those are the kinds of things that keep the building modern, keep it fresh and keep the fans happy,” he says.

He proposed a move to digital a couple years ago and got a $2.3 million estimate from Cisco Systems. The authority decided not to approve that project but is open to moving toward a more digital arena.

That would allow for more sponsorship as well, says Merritt, who agrees with Olsen about taking the arena digital.

Now the Centennial Authority has a plan, but must still implement it.

The Centennial Authority paid $129,939 for the report.

The Centennial Authority is governed by a 21-member board comprised of 10 members appointed by the N.C. General Assembly, four appointed by the Wake County Board of Commissioners, four appointed by the Raleigh City Council, two appointed by the Wake County Mayors’ Association, and the Chancellor of North Carolina State University or his designee.